This invention relates generally to anti-theft tailgate devices and to anti-theft camper top devices, and more particularly to a locking theft-deterrent yet releasable steel bar that prohibits the opening of the tailgate and the rear lift window of the camper top.
Theft of motor vehicles and theft of motor vehicle parts continue to rise in the United States. With the turn of the century we may see even more thefts of the same as well as thefts of items stored in enclosed vehicles such as pickup trucks with camper tops.
This invention is particularly applicable to pickup trucks with camper tops. The invention function is to deter thefts of tailgates, camper tops, and items stored in enclosed vehicle cargo beds.
Camper tops today are built with a rear lift window. These rear lift windows generally have a metal rod attached to each side of a centered twist handle. Each rod extends to its side of the camper top hindering the opening action of the rear lift window when the twist handle is in the lock position. The rods move away from the sides of the camper when the handle is turned to the unlocked position, which enables the rear window to lift open. However, camper top manufacturers that make the rear lift window design use rods of metal that have just enough flexibility that when the locked twist handle on the rear window is pulled hard enough, as if to open the window, the rods do not have the strength to prevent the opening of the rear lift window of the camper top. Thus, items stored inside the camper and pickup truck cargo bed are no longer secured. Furthermore, once inside the camper, the camper top can be unbolted and removed. The locking mechanism in the handle, elaborate or not, becomes insignificant because the rods will not hold the lift window in the closed position.
This invention pertains to an unbendable L-shaped steel bar that rests and locks into a load-leveling type trailer hitch. When the L-shaped bar is inserted into the trailer hitch, the vertical upper section blocks the pulling down of the tailgate and the lifting up of the rear window of the camper top.
A tailgate lock described as the tailgate release handle security device in the patent, U. S. Pat. 5,303,971, issued to Roger L. Johnsen et al on Apr. 19, 1994, can only prevent the theft of the tailgate and not deter theft of a camper top and items stored in the camper top or truck cargo bed. The camper top rear lift window remains unsecured, for the reasons stated henceforth, as it is independent of the tailgate and its locking mechanism. Hence, the camper top and items stored in the camper top and cargo bed remain unsecured also.
The following patents that secure the camper to the truck cargo bed, body, or chaise frame were reviewed:
U.S. Pat. No. Date Inventor 3,368,785 02-13-68 Weiler 3,719,382 03-06-73 Palm 3,817,460 06-04-74 Norrish 4,103,959 08-01-78 Whiting et al 5,277,471 01-11-94 Thibault
Using any of the aforementioned patents that securely hold the camper in place in the truck cargo bed will not deter the entrance into the camper or cargo bed of the truck where items are stored. Therefore, the function of the invention is to provide an unbendable steel bar that would prohibit the pulling open of the tailgate and the camper top rear window. Furthermore, by doing so, the invention would prevent easy access to the inside of the vehicle and theft of items stored there. Uniquely, the L-shaped steel bar would readily fit and lock into an existing load-leveling trailer hitch.